Medicare Advantage

Medicare in Scranton: 75 Plan Choices for 2026

SCRANTON, Pa. — If you live in Scranton and you're shopping for Medicare coverage for 2026, get ready to do some reading. Scranton is in Lackawanna County, where 75 Medicare Advantage plans are available for the coming plan year, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Plan Finder data.

Scranton Seniors Have a Lot to Sort Through This Fall

That's a wide field of choices for the roughly 44,410 residents age 65 and older in the county. More options can be a good thing — but it also means it pays to slow down and compare carefully before the Annual Enrollment Period ends on December 7.

What the Numbers Look Like in Lackawanna County

Here's a snapshot of what's on the shelf locally for 2026, at the county level:

• 75 Medicare Advantage plans available in Lackawanna County
• 9 carriers offering Medicare Advantage with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD)
• 0 stand-alone Part D prescription drug plans listed in the county data set for this snapshot
• 0 contracts rated 4 stars or higher in the area for this cycle

A quick note on Star Ratings: CMS scores plans from 1 to 5 stars based on things like member experience and customer service. Ratings can shift from year to year, and a rating alone doesn't tell you whether a specific plan fits your doctors, prescriptions, or budget. Use them as one piece of information — not the whole picture.

For stand-alone Part D, don't panic if the county-level count looks light. Part D plans are offered by region, and your options on Medicare's official Plan Finder at medicare.gov will reflect what's actually available to you by ZIP code.

Why 75 Plans Is a Lot — and How to Narrow It Down

Seventy-five is more choices than most people can reasonably compare side-by-side. A few practical filters can shrink the list fast:

1. Your doctors and hospitals. Check whether your current providers are in a plan's network. 2. Your prescriptions. Enter your medications into the Plan Finder to see how each plan covers them. 3. Your travel patterns. If you spend part of the year outside Pennsylvania, ask how each plan handles out-of-area care. 4. Your preferred way to get care. Some folks want the flexibility of Original Medicare with a separate drug plan; others prefer an all-in-one Medicare Advantage plan.

There is no single "right" plan for everyone in Scranton. The right plan is the one that fits your health, your budget, and your life.

What's Changing at the Program Level in 2026

Even if your plan choice stays the same, some Medicare-wide rules are worth knowing for 2026:

• Part D out-of-pocket cap: $2,100. Once your out-of-pocket spending on covered prescriptions hits this cap, you pay $0 for covered drugs for the rest of the year.
• Part D maximum deductible: $615. Individual plans can set a lower deductible, but not higher.
• The coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone. Starting in 2025, Part D moved to a simpler three-phase structure.
• Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. This optional program lets you spread your yearly drug costs across monthly payments instead of paying large amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• IRMAA. Higher-income beneficiaries pay an income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D. For 2026, IRMAA begins above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Key Dates to Circle

• October 15 – December 7: Medicare Annual Enrollment Period. This is when most people compare, switch, or drop plans for the coming year.
• January 1 – March 31: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period. If you're already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one chance during this window to switch to a different Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare.

Missing a deadline can lock you into a plan for the year, so mark the calendar now.